As law enforcement agencies across the nation continue to rely on controversial license plate readers, a leading technology provider is launching a significant update designed to crack down on officers who misuse the data. Flock Safety announced the initiative on August 13, following a series of high-profile cases alleging that police officers utilized the system for personal motives, such as stalking or harassment, rather than legitimate criminal investigations.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley stated in an interview with that the company is taking a firm stand against the abuse of power, aiming to protect the privacy that everyday citizens expect. The new measures, which went into effect on August 13, are designed to help put a stop to police misusing the system and will send up flags for any attempted misuse, according to Langley.
The company’s surveillance network is extensive, with cameras installed within the jurisdictions of more than 6,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. Flock reports that it currently operates 120,000 cameras across 49 states. These devices track vehicle license plates, makes, models, and colors, allowing authorities to search a database to pinpoint the exact movements of any vehicle captured by the system.
While the technology has revolutionized the way police track suspected criminals, it has also drawn intense scrutiny. In July alone, Langley noted that the cameras helped solve 1,000 missing person cases and 22,000 stolen vehicle cases. Despite these successes, the system has faced mounting pushback from citizens across the political spectrum, including instances of vandalism and public protests, such as the 77-year-old Florida resident Carl Gunn, who regularly stands in front of a camera with a sign reading, “Down with Flock cameras.”
Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, has previously highlighted that the technology triggers concerns regarding government overreach on the right and worries about targeted surveillance on the left. “There’s different reasons, but everyone is arriving at the same position, which is mass government surveillance in this country has gotten completely out of control and needs to be reined in immediately,” Marlow said.
The need for stricter oversight has been underscored by several recent scandals. A Georgia police chief was arrested in November and accused of using automated license plate readers to harass and stalk multiple people; he was found dead by suicide before he could face trial. In Apache Junction, Arizona, a police officer resigned after an investigation into allegations that he used his department’s Flock cameras to track his wife and requested that another department check its system’s cameras.
Furthermore, the city of Chandler, Arizona, announced on August 7 that it was discontinuing its contract with Flock after detecting an “anomaly” in the use of its cameras. Similarly, in North Carolina, a police officer was charged with unlawfully accessing computers after allegedly using her department’s system to look up the vehicle of her boyfriend’s ex-wife. Another North Carolina officer faces a similar charge for conducting an unauthorized license plate search, according to the state’s Bureau of Investigation.
Langley emphasized that the identification of police misuse has increased since the company rolled out its “audit assistance” tool earlier this year, which flags abnormal searches. “You will get caught,” Langley warned law enforcement personnel seeking to use the system for personal gain. He noted that officers who abuse Flock are likely abusing every other system to which they have access, and he advocated for lawmakers to implement similar safeguards across all tools used by police, including DMV records.
Regarding the future of the platform, Langley confirmed that the new security measures will be universally implemented across the entire customer base. “As we now go from one-third of our customers to all of our customers having it, I think we will find new forms of abuse, program that into the system to prevent it happening again,” he said.
Langley maintains that the technology itself is neutral, arguing that its impact depends entirely on how it is utilized. “I think there’s a misconception that we have to make a choice between safety and privacy. And I just refuse to accept that,” he said. He feels strongly that companies producing law enforcement tools have a responsibility to implement every possible safeguard to prevent rogue officers from exploiting the technology.
Flock Safety has reiterated its stance in recent communications, stating, “A search without a reason is a search that shouldn’t happen in the first place.” The company is positioning these updates as a critical step in balancing public safety needs with the protection of individual civil liberties.
As the company moves forward with these mandatory updates, the focus remains on ensuring that the data provided to law enforcement is used exclusively for authorized investigative purposes. By automating the detection of anomalous behavior, Flock Safety aims to restore public trust and ensure that its surveillance infrastructure does not become a tool for personal vendettas or unauthorized monitoring.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, also in Arizona, said it also decided not to renew its contract, citing concerns about the 4th Amendment, which protects Americans against unreasonable searches and seizures.
A North Carolina police officer was charged with a count of unlawfully accessing computers after allegedly using her department’s license plate-reader system to look up the vehicle of her boyfriend’s ex-wife 31 times, in
13, Flock Safety announced that it will implement the new features to weed out bad actors in police departments and stop the misuse of its systems altogether.
A North Carolina police officer was charged with a count of unlawfully accessing computers after allegedly using her department’s license plate-reader system to look up the vehicle of her boyfriend’s ex-wife 31 times, including twice while off duty, WBTV reported Aug.
Law enforcement personnel will have to input a specific case code tied to the investigation they are working on, and input the type of offense.
For example, along with the code, they might select kidnapping or motor vehicle theft.
Langley hopes this will stop officers from making up false reasons or inputting something overly vague such as “investigation.”
Users are locked out in real time until an administrator reviews the search.
Data will be retained in the system for seven days instead of 30 days, except for cases that need more time under “evidence mode,” when a search is tied to an ongoing case number.
Departments can choose what types of cases can be searched for by other departments.
For example, Department A might allow Department B to search its cameras for kidnapping, homicide or theft cases but exclude Department B from searching for immigration-related offenses.
“It is, a cop checks his daughter’s boyfriend’s criminal record.
It is, a cop checks ex-partner’s location,” he said.
Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg